The Yankees Revive The ¨Paul O´Neill Stretch Run¨

Welcome to This Week In Yankees Baseball! It was a night New York Yankees fans will never forget. And Paul O´Neill remembers it like it was yesterday.

“I hit it and it was like, ‘You did it,’ O´Neill said according to Pinstripe Alley. ¨It’s a weird feeling. It’s a good feeling. I even amazed myself… It’s a great thing, something I’ve never done before even hitting in my backyard during home run derby.” [related category]

It was August 31, 1995, and the Warrior was on the home run path. He was referring to the third of his three blasts against the California Angels that day. His seven RBI ignited the Yankees offense and propelled them on their playoff drive.

From there, the Yankees went on a 25-6 run. On the final day of the season, they accomplished what had appeared as impossible, they clinched a playoff spot. And just as satisfying, it allowed Don Mattingly to reach the playoffs for the first time in his 14th year professional career.

So, just one day shy of the 20th anniversary of Paulie´s barrage, has lightning struck twice? Will the 20- run explosion against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday propel them into a similar stretch drive?

"“Baseball has a way of evening out,” manager Joe Girardi said according to MLB.com. “When you struggle offensively, you’re due to get some guys hot, and I think that’s kind of what happened here. We swung the bats extremely well, and we’ll try to keep it going in Boston.”"

And despite Toronto’s slight lead in the AL East, the Yankees are confident that they will take care of business down the stretch. “Sure, we would have loved it if they (Toronto) lost a game or two, but all we can control is what we can do, Chase Headley said, also according to MLB.com. “We’re going to play them seven times before the end of the year, and there’s a good chance that those seven games are going to have a pretty good impact on how things end up. It would have been great if they lost, but they didn’t.”

Hmm, 7 games with Toronto and 7 RBI for O´Neill, just saying. In any case, with 38 runs in the Atlanta series, it appears that the run is underway, right on the 20th anniversary of Paulie’s big game. And 25-6 would be a welcome one.

More from Yanks Go Yard

Home/Yankees News